The Thief
by paradoxic
Summary: Lily Evans has stolen something that belongs to James Potter. He wants it back. One Shot. The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of. Read and Review!


The Thief

Disclaimer: Anything you might have recognized in this is not my creation. The first quote in the story is courtesy of Nietzsche. The second is from Blaise Pascal.

Author's Note: I would really love to know what you think of this. Reviews are wonderful. They really brighten my day. Especially since I have a math test tomorrow, which I did not study for, due to the fact I was writing this. )

* * *

It was the sort of day fit only for being so bored to death that a person willingly subjected themselves to complete a homework assignment more than a week before it was due. It was a brisk Autumn Sunday afternoon, and each student had returned to their said common room in a state of idleness before supper. There was no rain pouring down upon the Scottish hills and valleys, yet the air around the aristocratically ancient castle practically whispered the inevitable coming of rainfall.

The window panes on the incalculable number of windows at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked as if a dragon had breathed upon them. The outdoors was particularly foggy, attributed to the sudden cold snap in the weather. It left the majority of the students in a lethargic mood, or in no mood to venture outside.

Situated comfortably in a crimson armchair, sat just one such student. Her wavy, auburn hair cascaded down her back, and from far away, it would be hard to distinguish where her hair ended and the fabric of the chair began.

The last flames of the nearby fire place were just now distinguishing down to an ember glow. Her pale hand scribbled feverishly over a piece of parchment, and then stopped suddenly. The young girl put her writing utensil, which just happened to be a quill-to her lips subconsciously chewing on the tip of the feather. A pair of green eyes scanned over the written work as the ends of her lips drooped slightly in a frown.

"Oh-bugger-bugger!" She murmured, removing the tip of the quill from her mouth and feverishly crossing out a line of writing. "What was I thinking" She thought, glancing over her work-a bit embarrassed at her own pathetic mistake.

The History of Magic assignment was a dreadfully tedious and boring one, as they most always are. However-this one was especially so. Lily Evans had no interest in writing five feet on the history of the densaugeo charm. It seemed rather unfair-that she should be given such a boring and rather irrelevant charm to be assigned. Why, Hestia Jones was able to research the history of cheering charms. Lily got to find out what sort of mental git ever thought of inventing a spell to grow teeth.

Her mind must have been trailing off, as she subconsciously wrote a sentence or two that would not be deemed appropriate in school. She had meant to write that several prominent figures in history have been suspected of inventing the densaugeo charm were Prudence Van Adleson, Humphrey Bones, and Fitzwilliam Glutton-Heimer. Somehow she had written,

"Several prominent figures in history seemed to have been victims of the spell including Margaret Thatcher, Dolores Umbridge, and Sir Cadogan who can be observed in a portrait located on the third floor corridor."

Lily glanced down at her paper after crossing out a good deal and sighed. "Oh Bugger." She cried. The parchment looked horribly messy. She would have to re-copy her work if she wanted a decent grade. Lily stood up from her seat and looked over her chair to grab an extra piece of parchment from her bag.

Taking out her history of magic notebook, Lily scanned through her folders for extra parchment. To her discontent, she seemed to have run out of paper. Just brilliant.

* * *

Whilst Lily was having a paper dilemma, James Potter was having one of his own. However, he was in no need of paper.

"What do you reckon Prongs?" A voice called out from the bed to the left of him. Currently, James had sprawled out lethargically on his bed-not bothering to take his school shoes on. His tie was loosely around his neck, and his school shirt was disheveled, with the tails hanging out.

"Reckon what?" He asked, turning to face a handsome young man by the name of Sirius Black.

James was entertaining himself by throwing a stuffed, fake snitch ball up in the air, and then catching in with alternating hands. His head was slightly propped up by the headboard, causing his unruly ebony hair to stand up in every possible direction but the correct one.

"For Merlin's sake-where you even listening?" The voice came from a boy with tawny hair and a pale complexion. Remus Lupin was attempting to make a house of cards on top of his transfiguration text book, to no avail. Glancing over to his end table he let out a cry of outrage. "Oi! Which one of you twats filched from me again?"

A plump young man with watery blue eyes and tousled blonde hair jumped from his bed, spilling a carton of Bertie Bott's jelly beans. "Wha-oh-bollocks." He cried, dropping down on his pudgy hands to pick up the loose jelly beans.

Whatever it was that Sirius wanted to know if James reckoned it-was dismissed for the time being.

James and Sirius seemed rather disinterested in whatever they were accused of, but Sirius had a hint of smirk spreading across his agreeable features. "What was that?" He asked, yawning and bringing a clenched fist to his mouth, covering it without much care.

Remus seemed to be in a state of distress as he frantically searched under his bed and through his trunk. "My spellotape! I knew one of you—" He turned to the other three boys and looked at them with a suspicious glance. "Stole it" He uttered stole as if it was some work of the devil.

James and Sirius looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders simultaneously. James swung his legs off his bed and raised his arms over his head, stretching. "Pass me a bean Wormtail" He said, opening his hands as Peter chucked him the package.

Sirius did not move from his seat and asked with an innocent tone, "Your spellotape?"

Remus ran a hand through his tawny locks and looked at Sirius with a very agitated expression on his face. He crossed his hands over his chest and said defiantly, "Yes-MY, spellotape."

James was rummaging through the package of jelly beans as he inspected a purple one with pink dots and put it back in the container. "Did it have your name on it?" Sirius and James seemed as if they were about to be susceptible to a bout of contagious laughter at any moment.

"Yes!" Remus said in an exasperated air. "My-name on it. I wrote it with white ink-clearly recognizable. I don't see why anyone would take it—again. People have no respect for—" He muttered on inaudibly to himself.

Sirius walked over to Remus and wrapped an arm loosely around his friend's shoulder.

"Was that your name? I could have worn it said, "Lupi" on it."

Remus looked at Sirius in shock and removed his hand from his shoulder. "Yes-my surname-Lupin" He paused and added, "Well-most of it. I couldn't fit the N you see."

James shook his head with mock sadness and ate a jelly bean. "Uggh-brussel sprouts."

He took another and chewed it, attempting to get the taste out of his mouth. "Sirius used it." He stated simply.

Remus turned to Sirius, his hand outstretched impatiently. Sirius looked at James with a devilish smirk on his face, while Peter looked like he was going to wet his pants from all the excitement. "I'm quite sorry Moony-but I used it all up you se—"

"Used it all up?" Remus shrieked in disbelief. "I just bought it last week for Merlin's sake!"

Sirius, James, and Peter starting to chuckle uncontrollably. Sirius patted Peter on the back so hard he stumbled, which as seventeen year old lads, they found even more humorous. Remus was cursing them all in outrage as Sirius composed himself enough to explain.

"I didn't know it was your—keep your pants on Moony-give me a hear a'right?" He said in a solemn tone that everyone present knew was false. "I thought it was some berk who did not know how to spell loopy. No idea it meant your surname mate. Anyway—I used it all."

Remus paced back and forth the dorm room, fluttering his arms in distress. "I /needed/ that! What could you have possibly used it all for? I bought the jumbo edition. With two extra meters-the package said so."

"Well-if the package says so…" Sirius muttered, as if the package was some supreme deity.

"Oh-sod off Sirius." Remus grumbled, collapsing onto his bed. "You're a right prat you know that?"

James looked at Peter and nudged him. "You go ahead mate-tell him." Peter looked at James, his idol with worry and shook his head silently. James shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and said, "Suit yourself"

He gave Peter his jelly beans back and uttered, "Snivellus was getting shirty with us and acting like his usually narked self, so Padfoot spellotaped his arse shut."

Remus looked from Sirius who had a "serious" excuse the pun, look upon his face—to James, who was whistling innocently, to Peter-who seemed to tremble under his gaze.

Breathing deeply, Remus looked from one to the next. He stood from his bed and then walked past the trio, his hands behind his back, as if he was some sergeant in the army and they were his privates. He stopped in front of Sirius and paused. Then finally, his furious expression lightened. His face turned from beet red to slightly flushed and he said in a light tone, "You bloody wankers! You're rubbish you know that? Complete rubbish"—and they all started to laugh.

* * *

"The look on yer face-priceless." James laughed, still rummaging through his trunk.

"You lot are going to send me to my grave." Remus sighed, returning to his bed and lying down on it with his shoes still on. Sirius took to reading a quidditch magazine, as Peter looked from over Sirius' shoulders. "So-where is it?" Remus inquired.

"Don't know mate-ask Snivellus" Sirius joked, but maintained that same serious voice that he used only when he was joking. It was sort of ironic really.

"Ah-we've taken the mickey out of him enough." James said, running a hand through his hair as he chucked the spellotape to Remus, who caught it rather jadedly. Standing up, James made a clicking sound on the roof of his mouth and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I think I'm going to head down to the common room-just see who's there or something."

Sirius looked up at James with a curious expression on his face. "Whose there worth your time? We are all here…." The ends of his lips curled up slightly as he shook his head, letting his hair move in his eyes as he did so. Blowing up, he moved the hair away and said, "Evans eh?"

James muttered something inaudible. Remus looked up, happy for the opportunity to push James' buttons and said, "Can't hear you mate."

James grunted and said, "Nothing-she just has something of mine." He paused and looked down at the floor, and then back up at his three friends. "Something I want back."

He turned and opened the door, slamming it behind him and leaving his friends to guess just what on earth Lily could possess of James'.

Lily had gone up to her dorm room for a piece of paper, and was sidetracked by Amelia Bones and Hestia Jones.

"Lily-there you are!" Hestia exclaimed, a pink-cheek, black-haired witch with an outgoing persona.

"Here I am," Lily responded, looking through her trunk for a package of parchment.

Amelia was occupied in examining her face, testing out make up as she followed a guide from Witch weekly.

Hestia was sitting on her bed, munching on a pumpkin pastry as she glanced through a quidditch magazine. "Who do you reckon is more fit? Ludo Bagman—"

At this point, Amelia let out a sigh of content at his name and Hestia snorted. "Or Sirius Black?"

Lily actually started to laugh as she looked up from her things and said, "Neither. They are both mentally incompetent gits who couldn't find their way out of a box."

Amelia giggled and said to Hestia in a loud voice so Lily could hear, "Oh-of course Lily doesn't fancy either of them."

Lily stood up, placing her hands on her hips as she walked over to the duo. "What's that supposed to mean?" She inquired, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh nothing," Amelia said, waving a hand of carelessness. "Only-that you obviously are much too partial to James Potter than to even acknowledged any other boy exists—" Amelia could barely get the words out of her mouth before Lily cried in outrage,

"Oh-don't be preposterous Amelia. James Potter is the last boy I would ever consider fancying"

Hestia sat up in her bed, carelessly twisting her black hair with her finger. "You can't help liking the people you do." She stated.

Lily shook her head definitely, as her red hair moved with it-getting in her eyes. "On the contrary. It's extraordinarily easy. There is always something entirely disgusting about someone-nobody is perfect."

Amelia sat up straighter, eager to hear what she had to say. "Go on.."

"Well, just concentrate on how completely idiotic Ludo is, or how much of a git Sirius is—and its quite easy not to fall in love…"

Hestia snorted in disbelief. "That is the most ludicrous idea I have heard since Alice suggested putting a freezing charm on our face at night to stop pimples." Alice had icicles for eyebrows for nearly two weeks.

Amelia chuckled, nodding. Hestia continued, "Matters of the heart and the brain are entirely different. If you ask me-the brain is completely illogical-not the heart."

Lily looked at Hestia swiftly and opened her mouth slowly, as if she was entirely serious. "That is---deep. Have been reading Shakespeare?"

Amelia sighed. "Oh-my. I love Shakespeare. Such a romantic."

The two girls ignored her.

Hestia shrugged her shoulders and chucked a pillow at Lily. "Oh-sod off Evans."

"Didn't Nietzsche say something like that?" Amelia inquired, receiving shocked looks from Lily and Hestia. Hestia was the one who sputtered,

"How on earth do you know who Nietzsche is?" Truthfully, they were surprised at times that Amelia even knew how to read.

"I'm not stupid." Amelia said with an arrogant air, flipping her brown curls as she said, "Besides-there was some special on it that I watched by accident. I got the wrong time for this muggle soap opera my muggle gram watches-and I had to sit through it."

"Oh." Was all Lily could say. "Well, I'm off-got my parchment." She raised it in her hands and walked over towards the door, opening it and then proceeded to walk down the stairs.

* * *

The first time Lily glanced up from her work, it was because she heard somebody whistling "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriff. Ah-of course. The only person who would attempt to whistle Christmas song three months in advance was James Potter. He strolled into the common room with a self-confidence swagger in his step. Several fourth year girls looked up from their game of Exploding snap with dreamy eyes and giggled to one another. James seemed to ignore-or perhaps not notice them.

"Obviously, he is quite smug with himself" Lily thought bitterly, returning to her work. However, to her dismay James actually dare to take the seat across from her. Lily peered over her book quickly, but found James was watching her, and she quickly turned her head down, causing James to chuckle and smile.

For the next five minutes or so, neither of them said anything. Lily was glancing through a second-hand edition of advanced charms from the library, and James was scanning through a copy of "Quidditch Weekly".

To her horror, Lily realized that she had not turned the page once during those five minutes. Even more horrible, she had that imbecilic little grin of James' in her head. It was causing her distress and as she peered over her book-she found it safe. James was engrossed in some article.

He ran a hand through his hair, biting his bottom lip slightly. He yawned, ruffling up his hair more. Lily felt an involuntary lurch in her stomach, and attributed it to the turkey sandwich she had at lunch.

James turned the page, as Lily's eyes were still on him, without her consent. She did not want to look at him. Of course not. "Don't be ridiculous" She told herself as she turned away from James. From the corner of her eye, she saw him glance up. A flicker of hope seemed to diminish from his face as he thought she was not looking at him…or so she supposed.

"Hey Lily—" He stated.

Lily turned her head swiftly and said in a slightly annoyed tone, "What is it Potter."

Why she felt the need to be impolite to James, Lily could not begin to fathom. Of course, there was the slight chance that she did not allow herself to ponder on her feelings for James Potter. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the outcome.

James face flickered with some undistinguishable expression, though it promptly switched to that same arrogant, lop-sided grin he always wore around her. Sometimes, she wondered if it was a mask-but decided against it.

"I was just looking though this magazine—and I was wondering." He leaned in closer to Lily, placing the magazine to the side. He placed his elbows on knees and propped his face in his hands. "I was wondering if—if---Do girls really find Chester O'Dooley attractive?"

Chester O'Dooley was a chaser on the Irish quidditch team. He was about twenty-four, with tousled blonde hair, blue eyes, and distinct dimples.

"Don't know him." Lily muttered and placed her book back down again. "What's that got to do with anything? What are you on about?"

James shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing-just-forget it."

"All ready did." Lily muttered, also leaning back in her chair.

James scrunched up his face in frustration. He scrunched up his fist and hit his forehead repeatedly saying things like, "Bugger-you pansy-git-pathetic." Under his breath.

Lily rolled her eyes, wondering what on earth he was so distressed about. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. Chester O' Dooley? She never had even heard of him.

Fiver or so minutes went past and Lily again looked up from her book. James was staring at her with his dark brown eyes, not flickering once as she glanced up at him. Lily furrowed her brow in suspicion. She sighed and ran a hand through her auburn hair.

"What now Potter?" She asked, beginning to get a bit frustrated.

"I decided…"  
James said tentatively. His eyes appeared even darker under the flickering fire as the light cascaded over his thin-rimmed glasses. "I want it back."

Lily was now thoroughly confused. As far as she was aware, she had nothing of James'. Lily shifted her position in her seat and sat up straighter. Shaking her head she said, "I don't have anything of yours Potter—"

James stood up swiftly from his seat and said in a serious voice, quite unlike his own, "Don't call me that."

Lily chuckled, though did not find the conversation entertaining in the slightest. "It is your name Po-what do you want me to call you?" She raised a hand carelessly, as if dismissing the subject.

"My name," James said through clenched teeth, "Is James."

"Thanks for the clear-up." Lily said sardonically.

"Stop it!" James said, raising his voice. The stressed tone of his voice sent a shiver down Lily's spine, and she instinctively sat as far back in her chair as humanly possible.

James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He turned on his heel and placed his hands behind his back. Lily watched him, half in intrigue, and half in worriment. Perhaps he was going barmy.

As James paced he said, "You always do this..." Lily opened her mouth to say something and James cut her off. "No-let me speak for once." Lily shut it, surprised at his blunt manner. Well-towards her anyway.

Under normal circumstances Lily would have said something mildly offensive, but his composure-or lack thereof worried her.

"Every time I attempt to be serious about /anything/-you have to go and insult me. Call me a git, or a prat, or a mentally incompetent nark." He began to rattle them off, counting on his finger, "a wanker, a barmy fool, a berk, a pervert---"

James was interrupted by Lily who felt the need to defend herself, rightfully so. "Shut it Po-James…I get it all right. How can I be serious, when you accuse me of filching something of yours? You expect me to be all chummy after that?"

James stopped pacing and stared at her so deeply, that Lily had to turn away from embarrassment. "Stop looking at me like that," She muttered under her breath.

"But you did take something of mine" He said earnestly. "And I do want it back."

If Lily didn't know better, she would have guessed he was actually nervous-the way he stuffed his hands in his pockets and then took them out. The way he kept switching his weight and running a hand through his hair.

"Pray tell Mr. Potter-what did I take?" Lily again jested. "Oh bugger" She thought. "I've done it again."

"Sorry-Whatever I have of yours-I promise it was an accident. I'll give it back at once."

Lily looked through her backpack as she said this carelessly, sort of wanting him to go away. He was making her feel uncomfortable.

"I found a quill on the floor Tuesday during transfiguration? Is that? Hold on, I know I have it in here somewhere. Probably—" As Lily said this she stood up from her chair and began to scrimmage through her belongings. She was cut off when James said in a deep voice,

"My heart."

Lily jerked her head up at him. "Pardon?" She questioned him. Had she heard him correctly? Obviously, he meant something like dart or cart-something.

James repeated himself, somehow not faltering once. "My heart-you've stolen it, and I want it back." He stood in front of Lily awkwardly, looking down at his trainers and running a hand along the back of his neck.

Lily stood up too quickly, to the point where she felt-light headed. Somehow, assumed it was only attributed to this factor. Lily shook her head, finding herself smiling though she wasn't sure why. It was when a person smiles, because they don't know what else to do.

"James—" Lily said hesitantly. "I'm not sure what you mean…" She looked down at her feet, finding them suddenly very interesting.

"You stole it. Sometime, I'm not sure when-I'm not sure how, or even why—" James took a step towards Lily, who looked absolutely petrified over the entire scenario. She looked as if she was frozen to her very spot, under some hex.

"Despite the way you mock me, the way you offer me no civility, the way you pay me no affection—I adore you. It's completely illogical and I have come to the conclusion that you've stolen my heart." James breathed raggedly, as if he just ran a mile without stopping. Perhaps what he had just done was harder however.

"What I mean to say is—quite blatantly so, I like you…a lot" He shrugged his shoulders, expecting some reaction from Lily, though she continued to stare at him with the same wide eyed expression, like a deer in headlights.

James bit his bottom lip and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose slightly. "And—I've decided-" He said each word with zealous passion and determination. Each word was carefully planned before he spoke, for each word was coming from a stolen heart. James' eyes penetrated through Lily, as if his eyes were speaking. "I've decided-you can have it. I don't really want it back after all."

Lily cleared her throat, as the silence in the room could cut through one of her mum's treacle tarts. She could think of absolutely nothing to say. What were you supposed to say at a time like this? The boy you thought to despise-with a mutual passion, turns out to be pathetically in love with you. She didn't want this-She couldn't handle this. Therefore, Lily resorted to the only thing safe to say. In a quiet voice she said, "Sod off Potter"

James looked up, quite shocked at her words. "Sorry for the inconvenience." He turned his head around and glanced at the stairs leading to his dormitory. He started to walk away and at the last minute turned around, "So, that's it then? I tell you, most sincerely how I feel-and you tell me to sod off?"

Lily's brain was slowly beginning to register what was happening around her. "I am sorry for stealing anything of yours. I assure you, it was unintentional."

James took a deep breath and began to walk towards her. Lily took an instinctive step back. "Exactly." James boldly took another step towards Lily and she found her feet once again rooted to her spot.

He took yet another step foreword and Lily tried to take one back, but he grasped her arm. Lily looked down instinctively towards it but did not attempt to move it. "Love is unintentional" James removed his grip from Lily's arm and moved his hand up to her cheek. Lily felt herself shiver—unintentionally.

"This is unintentional."

Lily's brain seemed to scream at her to run, to kick him, to call him a wanker, to do something-anything. And yet, her heart was disconnected from her brain.

"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."

Lily wasn't sure exactly how this had happened, but she assured herself, it was most unintended. As her mind seemed to be racing, she saw James' face come closer and close to hers. The next thing she knew, Lily actually pushed her arm out.

James glanced down at his chest, which is where Lily's hand was. He raised his brow in confusion, and a flicker of disappointment was etched over his features.

He started to back away from Lily, hinting at this message she seemed to be conveying.

"You liar." Lily breathed quietly.

"Wha?" James questioned.

"I can feel your heart beating. You're a right liar you know that?" Lily told him, looking up at him with a smirk on her face.

James smiled softly and leaned in to kiss her once more.

His lips brushed against Lily's. It was purely as innocent as kisses come, yet there was a surge of energy rushing through their veins that neither had experienced before.

Lily felt as if her legs would give out on her at any moment. Her breath was caught in her throat and an unmistakable lurch exploded in her stomach that had absolutely nothing to do with that turkey sandwich. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around James' neck, having to stand on the tips of her toes to do so.

James almost stumbled back in surprise at Lily's reaction, but managed to stay somewhat aware of his surroundings. He boldly deepened the kiss slightly, and wrapped one arm around Lily's waist. He pulled her in closer, as she ran her hands in his hair.

Finally, for need of air, they broke apart. James rested his chin on Lily's forehead and looked down at her.

"No, I think that I've just been given a bit of my heart back."

"For, The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of."

Unintentionally of course.

* * *

Finito

Authors Note: Reviews and Constructive Criticism would be wonderful. They truly make my day.


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